The Liza Destiny, Guyana’s first oil production vessel has arrived in the Stabroek Block after traveling nearly 11 thousand nautical miles from the Keppel Shipyard in Singapore, U.S oil giant, ExxonMobil announced moments ago.
The Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel journeyed for 42 days, after a ceremony in June 2019 at which First Lady, Sandra Granger was named “Godmother.”

“This is a historic and momentous occasion for the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and all Guyanese. The FPSO’s arrival means that we are no more just talking about first oil. First oil is on the horizon. The Liza Destiny’s arrival means that our timetable has moved forward and, as a policy-related body, we are also called upon to advance our timetable,” Director of the Department of Energy, Dr. Mark Bynoe said as he confirmed the vessel’s arrival.

He said Liza Destiny’s arrival should engender a new spirit of nationalism, pride and expectation.
“As Guyanese, we should begin to recognise that it is a vessel that will be paid for by Guyanese, pumping Guyanese fuel which will be bringing in revenue for Guyanese to help our country to ultimately be transformed positively from an economic development perspective. It is imperative that as Guyanese we begin to appreciate that the direct and the indirect benefits that emanate from this sector goes far beyond anything that we have seen thus far,” Dr. Bynoe said.

Meanwhile, ExxonMobil explained that after clearing customs, the vessel will be connected to the spread mooring before hookup and installation begins in preparation for production, storage and offloading of Guyana’s oil.
“It’s exciting to have another significant milestone completed as we continue on the road to first oil,” ExxonMobil’s Country Manager Rod Henson said to mark the occasion.
“While we still have a great deal of work ahead of us, I’m extremely proud of our entire team, both onshore and offshore, and their focus on working safely and being protective of the environment in all that we do,” he added.

The Liza Destiny FPSO was converted from oil tanker, “Tina”, a 1999 Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC). The conversion included upgrading of the hull and integration of 14 topside processing modules, totaling 16 thousand metric tonnes.
This FPSO is a significant component of the Liza Phase 1 development which involves four undersea drill centers with 17 production wells, the oil exploration company explained, adding that it has a production capacity up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day and an overall storage volume of 1.6 million barrels. During normal operations, there will be at least 80 persons living and working onboard the vessel.

ExxonMobil Guyana remains on target for first oil by early 2020.